A Race of One

She is not even sure
Why she took up the challenge.
Maybe it was just
The seeming implausibility
Of running a marathon
That egged her on.
She was not particularly fit
Or into running for that matter.
She had nothing to prove
And no concern for winning,
Yet once she vowed to run,
It was something she had to do.
The only person
She was competing against
Was herself,
And there were many times
During training
That she wanted
To call it quits.
She wore out
Several pair of shoes
In preparation,
Yet she still wore blisters
On her feet
During the actual run.
She trudged on
Mile after mile,
Battling the rain and cold
But kept on going.
The last few miles
Took everything she had
And then some,
But she finally made it.
She was awarded a medal
For finishing the race.
Though she wasn’t
The first to cross the line,
She displayed that medallion
With unrestrained pride,
For it was tangible evidence
That she could overcome
Almost anything
Once she set her mind to it.
In a sense,
She won the real race,
And it was a race of one.